1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to marine platforms such as oil and gas well drilling platforms. More particularly, the present invention relates to an improved method and apparatus for elevating the deck area of a fixed marine platform to better protect equipment that is located on the deck area from storms (e.g. hurricanes) that generate heightened wave action.
2. General Background of the Invention
There are many fixed platforms located in the oil and gas well drilling areas off the United States coast such as in the Gulf of Mexico. Such marine platforms typically employ an undersea support structure that is commonly referred to as a jacket. These jackets can be many hundreds of feet tall, being sized to extend between the seabed and the water surface area. Jackets are typically constructed of a truss like network of typically cylindrically shaped pipe, conduit or tubing that is welded together. The jackets can be secured to the seabed using pilings that are driven into the seabed. The jacket is then secured to the piling. The part of the offshore marine platform that extends above the jacket and above the water surface is typically manufactured on shore and placed upon the jacket using known lifting equipment such as a derrick barge. This upper portion is the working part of the platform that is inhabited by workers.
Marine platforms can be used to perform any number of functions that are associated typically with the oil and gas well drilling and production industry. Such platforms can be used to drill for oil and gas. Such platforms can also be used to produce wells that have been drilled. These fixed platforms typically provide a deck area that can be crowded with extensive equipment that is used for the drilling and/or production of oil and gas.
When storms strike the Gulf of Mexico and other areas, offshore marine platforms are put at risk. While the jacket and platform are typically designed to resist hurricane force wind and wave action, equipment located on the deck of the marine platform can easily be damaged if hurricane generated wave action reaches the deck area.
An additional consequence of wave action reaching the platform deck is catastrophic platform collapse, which happened in several instances during recent storms in the United States Gulf of Mexico.